Machine for operating on shoes



Nov. 2, 1937. w. 1-. B. ROBERTS MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SHOES FiledJune 25, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 2, 1937. w. T. B. ROBERTS MACHINEFOR OPERATING ON SHOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1936 1937- w. 'r.B. RQBERTS MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOES 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 v Filed June23, 1936 77AM A 4;.

Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES- MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOESWilliam ThomasBuckingham Roberts, Leicester, England, assignor to UnitedShoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N.

New Jersey Application June 23, 1936, Serial J., a corporation of InGreat Britain August 13, 1935 29 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating on shoes and moreparticularly to means for positioning or holding shoes in such machines,the term shoes being generally used herein to include what are known asboots. The invention is herein illustrated as applied to a toelastingmachine provided with novel toe-lasting means claimed in a copendingapplication of Frank B. Keall, Serial No. 86,828, filed on June 23,1936, but it is to be understood that it is not limited to machines ofthat particular character or to machines for lasting shoes.

In United States Letters Patent No. 1,993,117, granted on March 5, .1935upon an application of mine, there is disclosed, in a toe-lastingmachine, a shoe support or jack having a shoe-positioning member forengaging the bottom of the forepart of a shoe, a toe rest and a heelrest movable respectively heightwise and lengthwise of the shoe to clampand hold the shoe, and a member movable by the operator to force the toeand heel rests against the shoe, together with means for moving the shoesupport and the shoe 2. predetermined distance toward the toe-lastingmeans by the movement of that member. In one aspect of the presentinvention an object is to provide certain improvements in the earlierconstruction such as to adapt it still better for use in operating onshoes of diilerent sizes and on long-legged boots, and such also as tofacilitate its use by the operator. For better accommodation to shoes ofdifferent sizes the construction herein shown includes provision foryield in the mechanism movable by the operator to force the toe and heelrests against each shoe, together with means whereby these rests areforced positively against the shoe near the end of the shoe-clampingoperation, whatever the size of the shoe. Quickly operable means also isprovided for effecting an adjustment of the mechanism to operate onshoes which differ greatly in length.

To facilitate movements of the shoe support toward and from the meanswhich operates on the toe end of the shoe, the support in theconstruction herein shown is mounted on parallel links, the arrangementbeing such that the weight of the support tends to swing the links in adirection to carry the shoe away from the operating means. Springs alsoare provided to assist in initiating the movements of the support inboth directions. Still further facility in the use of the shoe supportis afforded by a novel constructicn and arrangement of means forefiecting the clamping of the shoe and the movement of the supporttoward the operating means.

The above and other features of the invention, including also a novelconstruction such as to avoid interference with the upper of along-legged boot, novel heel-rest controlling and adjusting mechanism,and various novel details of construction and combinations of parts,will now be more particularly described with reference to theaccompanying drawings and thereafter pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a machine in which the inventionis embodied;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, illustratingin greater detail features of the shoe support or jack; I

Fig.4 is a vertical sectional view of certain parts shown in Fig. 3; andV Fig. 5 shows partly in front elevation and partly in section certainother parts shown in Fig. 3.

The'machine in which theinvention is herein illustrated as embodied,like that shown in the above-mentioned copending application, is prowided withtoe lasting means comprising a pair of wipers 2 mounted foradvancing and closing movements to embrace the toe of a shoe and to wipethe marginal portion of the toe end of the" upper m'aterials inwardlyover an insole and, in the case of a'welt shoe, against a'lip on theinsole. The'wipers 2 are advanced and closed by a hand lever 4 and arethrust still more forcibly againstv the shoe by fluid-pressuremeanswhich it is unnecessary to'describe herein for an understanding ofthe present invention. The wipers also are raised by a double-actingtreadle 6, connected to a vertically movable trunk I on which they aresup-ported, to wipe the upper heightwise of the toe before wiping'itsmarginal portion inwardly over the insole, and by this treadle they maybe forced downward to increase their pressure on the upper in wiping itinwardly all as fully disclosed in the above-mentioned application. I

To position and hold the shoe for the operation of the wipers thereonthere is provided a shoe support or jack so constructed as to receiveand hold either riding boots with long legs or shoes with low uppers andwhich requires but little adjustment to adapt it for shoes of large orsmall sizes. The jack comprises an insole-engaging plate 8 whichoccupies a fixed position heightwise of the machine during the lastingoperation and against which the toe portion of the insole is placed bythe operator in presenting the shoe bottom upward to the machine, a toerest It! ar- The insole-engaging plate 8 is a rigid member-'- curved inplan similarly to the toe end of an in-- sole so as to fit closelywithin and support the lip of a welt shoe insole around the toe portionduring the lasting operation and its lower face lies;

generally in a horizontal plane. The plate is secured in a quicklydetachable manner to the left-hand end of a horizontal shank 14 therighthand end portion of which is secured in a horizontal guidewayformed in the upper face of an overhanging arm I 6 of a somewhatU-shaped jack casting I8. The central portion of the lower horizontalarm 20 of this casting, in the construction herein shown, is offsetrearwardly, as indicated at 22 in Fig. 2, so that the upper of along-legged boot may hang downwardly at the front of this offset portionwithout being obstructed by it.

The toe rest I!) (Fig. 3) comprises a rubber pad supported with freedomfor rocking movement on the rounded upper ends of lugs 24 extendingupwardly at the front and rear portions of .a member 26 mounted to swingabout an axis extending lengthwise of the shoe in an arcuate guideway 28formed in the upper end of a lever 30 which is pivotally supportedbetween its upper and lower ends as hereinafter described. This lever isalso pivotally supported at its lower end on a pin 32 adjustable bymeans of a screw 34 along a slot 36 formed in the left-hand end of ashort link 38, the screw being threaded in the pin 32 and having thereonaknurled head for turning it. The link 38 is pivoted at its right-handend on a horizontal pin40 secured in the left-hand end portion of thelower arm 20 of thejack casting I8. By adjusting the lower end of thelever 30 to the right or the left along the slot 36 and thereby swingingthe lever the toe rest I 0 may be adjusted in directions lengthwise of ashoe for shoes of different sizes or. styles. About midwayl of itslength the lever 30, as above suggested, is pivotally connected by a pin42 to the left-hand end of a short curved lever arm 44 which is keyed atits right-hand end to the forward end of a rearwardly extending pin 46rotatable in the lower arm of the jack casting. A second curved leverarm 48 is keyed at its lefthand end to the rear end of the pin 46, andthe right-hand end of this arm extends into a slot formed in thelower'end portion ofa slide 56 which is mounted in upwardly extendingguideways 52 formed in the inner sides of the upper portions of anupstanding bifurcated link 54. The arm 48 is pivotally connected to theslide 50 by a pin 56. The upper ends of tension springs 58 are connectedto pins 60 projecting from the upper end of the slide 59 and to pins 62projecting from the 1ink 54 at the lower end of the latter. Thesesprings tend to maintain the slide 50 in a definite lowered positionrelatively to the link 54 determined by a plate 64 which is fast on theslide and abuts againstthe upper end of the link, and they also provideyielding means through which downward movement of the'link 5 4 causesthe toe rest I 0 to be raised by the swinging of the arms 48 and 44; V

For imparting downward movement to the link 54, its lower end ispivotally connected to-the lefthand end of a substantially horizontalfloating lever 66 which near its left-hand end is connected by a pivotpin 68 to the left-hand end of a bifurcated arm 10 of a three-armedlever 12. The lever 12 straddles the upper side of the floating lever 66and is mounted below this lever on a pair of coaxial pins, 14 fixedrespectively in the front wall of the rearwardly offset portion of thelower arm of the jack casting and in a web I6 (Fig. 2) parallel to thefront wall of the lower arm and spaced from this wall rearwardly of themachine.

The two pins 14 are spaced somewhat toward the which connects itsoverhanging arm 56 to its lower arm 20. On the shaft 84 is secured atoothed segment or gear member 86 engaging a second toothed segment orgear member 88 secured on a jack-operating lever arm 96 which is mountedto swing about a fixed shaft 92 in the jack casting. The arm 90 extendsupwardly as indicated in Fig. 1 when the machine is idle, and byswinging this arm in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from thefront of the machine the three-armed lever 12 is rocked also in acounterclockwise direction about the pins I4, thereby swinging thelefthand end of the floating lever 66 downwardly and thus through thesprings 58 imparting upward movement yieldingly to the toe rest I0.

Swinging movement of the floating lever 66 is also utilized to cause theheel rest I2 to move a vertical T-shaped guideway formed in a guideIIlZ-on the left-hand end ofa horizontalslide IM, the slide I04 beingmounted in 'a guideway provided in the upstanding portion of the jackcasting. The pin 98 actually passes through a slot I06 in the slide I6and is fast in a plunger I08 slidingly mounted inthe upper end of theslide I60. The right-hand end of the plunger I08 has a plate I10depending from it and provided on its right-hand face with ratchet teethto cooperate with teeth formed on the left-hand face of the guide I02.The plunger I68 is urged toward the right by a spring plunger H2 in theslide I60. By pulling the heel rest I2 toward the left the teeth on theplate I II) can be readily disengaged from the teeth on the guide I 62and the heel rest with the slide I06 may then be adjusted vertically tothe most convenient position for engagement with any particular shoe.

A downwardly extending portion of the slide I60 has therein a screw H4the head of which abuts against the lower end of the link 96. By turningthis screw the heel rest may be swung about the pin 98 to accommodate itto the heightwise curvatures of the heel ends of different shoes.Spring-pressed plungers H6 located in thelink 96 above and below thepivotal connection of the heel rest to the link provide means aga nstwhich the heel rest may swing about this pivotal connection in onedirection or the other in the jacking of the shoe to adjust itselfbetter to the curvature of the heel end of the shoe. A vertical screwII8 threaded in the lower end of the guide I02 and a pin I20 in theupper end of the guide serve by contact with the slide I00 to preventthe slide from being moved vertically off its guideway.

The horizontal slide I04 for moving the heel rest toward the shoecomprises a pair of long and narrow horizontal plates I22 spaced apartat their left-hand ends by a shank I24 on the guide I02, to which shankthe plates are secured, the plates nearer their right-hand ends beingspaced apart by a distance piece I26 to which also they are secured.Near its right-hand end the slide I04 has positioned between its platesI22 a pair of comparatively short arms I28 which at their left-handends, with the parts positioned as shown in the drawings, have forwardlyand rearwardly extending pins I30 mounted in holes formed in the platesI22. The right-hand ends of these arms are connected together by a pinI32, and that pin I30 which extends forwardly from the foremost arm hassecured to it, at the front of the foremost plate I22, a'crank arm I34in which is mounted a spring-pressed plunger I36 (Fig. 2) arranged toenter one or the other of two holes I38 formed in the plate I22 atopposite sides of the pin I30, depending upon the positions of the armsI28 as hereinafter explained. The right-hand end of the floating lever68 is connected by a short link I40 to the left-hand end of a curved armI42 of a bellcrank lever I44 mounted to turn on the shaft 84. The secondarm I46 of this bell-crank lever, which is arranged to lie substantiallybeneath the slide I04, extends upwardly and toward the right and isconnected by a link I48,located between the two plates I22, to the pinI32 which connects the two short arms I28.

From the above description it will be understood that the toe rest andthe heel rest are operatively connected respectively to the oppositeends of the floating lever 86. When the floating lever is operated inthe manner previously described by the three-armed lever I2 uponswinging movement of the arm 90, the left-hand end of the floating leveris first swung downwardly, the lever swinging about the connection atits right-hand end with the link I40, and by this movement of the leverthe toe rest is moved upwardly toward and into engagement with the shoe.When the toe rest has clamped the shoe firmly against the plate 8 andits upward movement is stopped by the shoe, continued movement of thearm 90 causes the floating'lever to swing downwardly about the pivotalconnection of its left-hand end' with the link 54, and in this movementits right-hand end swings the bellcrank lever I44 in a counterclockwisedirection and thus imparts to the heel rest through the link I 48 andthe slide I 04 a movement toward the left to cause it to abut againstthe heel end of the shoe.

The arms I28 may be positioned to extend toward the right from theirpivot pins I30, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or by swinging the crankarmI34 through an arc of 180 may be positioned to extend toward the leftfrom the pins, the spring plunger I36 by entering the appropriate holeI38 maintaining them in either of these positions. Since the arms I28are connected as described to the link I48, their swinging movementserves to move the slide I04 to the left or the right through a distanceequal to twice the length of the arms I28. A simple and convenient meansis thus provided whereby the heel rest I2 may be quickly adjusted. tooperate more effectively on shoes of comparatively large sizes or shoesof comparatively small sizes. The crank arm I34 carries a small knobsecured to the spring plunger I38 whereby this plunger may be withdrawnfrom either of the holes I38.

In order to relieve the above-described heelrest-operating mechanism ofstrain due to the heelward thrust of the shoe against the heel rest inthe lasting operation, the machine herein shown, in general similarityto the machine shown in Letters Patent No. 1,993,117, is provided with apawl-and-ratchet device arranged to act on the slide I04. Thisdevicecomp-rises a series of ratchet teeth I50 formed on a platesecured'to the slide I04 and a pair of staggered pawls I52 arranged toengage the ratchet teeth to hold the slide against movement toward theright after the heel rest has engaged the shoe. These pawls are fast ona pin I54 rotatable in the upwardly extending portion of the jackcasting and they are urged toward the ratchet teeth by springs I58. Inorder to disconnect the pawls from the ratchet teeth when the arm isswung in the direction to release the shoe from the jack, a lever I58 issecured on the rear end of the pin I54. This lever carries a pin I80which lies to the left of upstanding fingers on the pawls and acts whenthe lever I 58 is swung in a clockwise direction to disconnect the pawlsfrom the ratchet teeth. For

swinging the lever I58 by the movement of the arm this arm carries a pinI62 arranged to engage a curved tail portion I64 of the lever.

As previously described, the toe rest I0 is forced yieldingly againstthe shoe through springs 58 connecting the slide 50 to the left-hand endof the floating lever 68, and it will be evident that by reason of theirrelation to the floating lever these springs are also yieldable inresponse to resistance of the shoe to the pressure of the heel restagainst it. In order to afford increased insurance that shoes ofdifferent sizes will be firmly clamped by the toe and heel rests, themachine herein shown is further provided with means whereby the toe andheel rests are thrust positively against the shoe after they haveengaged it yieldingly. They are thereafter maintained inpressure-applying relation to the shoe by reason of the fact that by theoperative movement of the arm 90 the double link 80, connected-to thethree-armed lever I2, and the short arms 82 on the shaft 84 are movedinto substantially parallel relationto provide what is, in effect, astraightened toggle to maintain the toe and heel rests in operativepositions until the arm 00 is swung reversely, i. e., to the right.Swinging movement of the arm80 to its operative position is limited by asuitable stop (not shown). 1

The means for rendering the springs 58 ineffective, so that the toe andheel rests will be forced positively against the shoe, is mounted on theupper end of the link 54 which carries the slide 50 to which the toerest is connected. This means acts at a suitable time to render the link54 positive in its action on the slide 50, as far as downward movementis concerned, so that further bodily downward movement of the floatinglever 66 effected by the three-armed lever I2 will act positively bothon the toe rest and on the heel rest. The slide 50 has teeth I65 formedalong its right-hand face'and the link 54 has a bracket- I68 extendingtoward the right from its upper end,

in which bracket are slidingly mounted three pawls I10, one only ofwhich is shown in the drawings. These pawls are arrangedrside by sideandhave teeth I12 on their left-hand ends. The teeth on the three pawls arein staggered relation heightvvise of the machine and are arranged toengage the teeth I66 on the slide 50 at a certain time. The bracket I68has a substantially horizontal guideway for the pawls I10, anda coverplate I14 fasten the bracket under thepawls supports them in theguideway. The bracket also has two coaxial bearings I16 for a slidingrod I18, the bearings being spaced apart to provide room between themfor a pawl-controlling yoke I secured by screws on the sliding rod. Apair of springs I82 between the left-hand bearing I18 and the yoke I80tend to force the yoke and the .rod .I18 toward the right, and adepending portion I84 of the yoke acts on upstanding portions I88 of thepawls to move the pawls also in that direction, the movement of the yokebeing limited by contact with the right-hand bearing I16. Springs I88located between the ends of pockets formed in the yoke I80 and in thepawls I10 tend to force the pawls toward the left to engage their teethwith the teeth I68.

Until after the toe rest and the heel rest, however, have actuallyengaged the shoe the yoke I80 remains in the position shown in Figs. 3and Q with the pawls I10 out of engagement with the teeth I66, so thatthe toe and heel rests may be forced yieldingly against the shoe. At asuitable time thereafter the rod I18 is moved toward the left to permitthe pawls I10 to engage the teeth I68 so that the slide 50 becomesconnected to the floating lever 66 for positive downward movement. Forthis purpose there is threaded in the right-hand end of the rod I18 astud I90 having an enlarged head, and the double link 80 which connectsthe three-armed lever 12 to the arms 82 on the shaft 84 has an ear I92projecting upwardly from its left-hand end and provided with a pinhaving a roll I94 thereon. This roll lies in the same vertical plane,extending from right to left, as the head of the stud I 90, this planebeing far enough to the rear for the parts to clear the upper of along-legged boot, and during the final portion of the movement of thelink 80 toward the left in the jacking of the shoe the roll strikesagainst the head of the stud I90 and thus moves the yoke I89 toward theleft to cause the pawls I10 to engage the teeth I55. The link 80continues to move a little farther toward the left after the roll I94has engaged the stud 590, as the arm 90 nears the position in which itremains while the shoe is clamped in the jack, and in this movement thelink depresses the floating lever 66 a little farther through thethree-armed lever 12. Since the heel rest I2 is connectedby positivemechanism, including thebell-crank lever I44 and the links I40 and I48,to the right-hand end of the floating lever 86, and since the toe restI0 is at this time positively coupled tothe left-hand end of thefloating lever as described, the further depression of this lever servesto force the toe rest and the heel rest positively against the shoe,whatever may be the size of the shoe, thus in-' Suring againstdisplacement of the shoe in the jack in the lasting operation. Aspreviously stated, the toe rest and the heel rest are maintained intheir operative positions by the straightening of the toggle deviceprovided by the link 80 and the arms 82. The toe rest I9 is formed ofrubber so that it may yield sumciently to avoid damage to the shoe orthe jack mechanisrn. The exact time in the jacking of the shoe whenthetoe rest and the heel rest are forced positively against it may bevaried by adjusting the amount which the stud I90 is screwed into therod I18, so as to vary the distance that the roll I94 has to travelbefore engaging the stud.

The above-described operating mechanism for the toe and heel rests issuch as to permit them to engage and hold securely shoes of widelyvarying, sizes and styles, the heel rest being adjustable in, directionslengthwise of the shoe by the crank arm I34 and the toe restbeingadjustable, if necessary, by the screw 34in the manner previouslyexplained. Portions of the operating mechanism for the toe and heelrests are displaced rearwardly of a vertical plane passing through theserests so as to permit the upper of a long-legged boot to hang freelydown without being obstructed by any portion of this mechanlsm.

The left-hand end of the lower horizontal arm 20-of the jack casting hasextending through it a vertical bore the axis of which is substantiallyin position to pass through the extreme toe end of the shoe clamped inthe jack. A vertical pivot pin I96 extends upwardly into this bore froma socket member I98 which is supported by a pair of coaxial pins 200 inthe upper end portion of a bifurcated link 202 thelower end portion ofwhich straddles a part of the frame and is pivoted on a pin 284m theframe (Fig. 1). The right-hand end of the lower horizontal arm of thejack casting carries a short pin 206 secured in a lug 208 dependingtherefrom, and a roll 2I0 is mounted on this pin. This roll rests on aflattened upper face of 5a forwardly and rearwardly extending rod 212the opposite ends of which are secured to portions of the bifurcatedupper end of an upstanding link 2 I4 similar to the link 202 andsubstantially parallel to the latter. The lower end of the link 2 I 4 isbifurcated and straddles the top portion of an upstanding web: 2I6 on.the frame,

and it is pivotally mounted on a pin H8 in the.

web. The jack casting may swing about the vertical pin I96 in a forwardor rearward direction in the lasting operation in response to pressureof one lor the other of the wipers 5 on the shoe so that the wipers maybear evenly on the opposite sides of the shoe. and 2I4 are of the samelength and their lower pivotal supports are at the same height. Thelinks are tied together at their upper ends by means of a substantiallyhorizontal rod 220 oifset rearwardly from beneath the overhanging arm I9of the jack casting. The rear end of the rod 262 extends through theright-hand end of the rod'220, and through the left-hand end of thelatter extends the rear end of one of the pins 230 connecting the socketmember I 98 to the link 2 2;

'Pivoted on the two pins 200 are' the righthand ends of a pair ofsubstantially horizontal rods 222 extending to the left at the front andrear of the bearing through which the vertically movable trunk 1extends, only one of these rods being visible in the drawings. Theleft-hand ends of these rods (Fig. 1) are pivoted on pins which extendfrom a trunnion member 224 into portions of the bifurcated upper end ofa link 226 similar to the links 202 and EM and parallel to them, thelink 226 being pivoted at its lower end one; pin 228 secured in a lug230 on the frame. A rod 232 extends toward the right and somewhatupwardly through the trunnion 224 and through vertical slots provided inthe vertically movable The twoparallel links 202 trunk i and itsbearing. The rod 232 also extends toward the left and has at itsleft-hand end a hand wheel 234 for turning it. Collars 236 are pinned tothe rod 232 at the opposite sides of the trunnion 224, and a coil spring238 is located between the right-hand side of the trunnion and thecorresponding collar 236 to provide frictional resistance againstundesired rotation of the rod 232. The rlg1t-hand end of the rod 232 isthreaded into a socket member 240 which is pivotally mounted on a pin242 secured in the upper end of an upwardly extending arm 2% of abell-crank lever 246 mounted on a pin 248 in the frame. A second arm 253of this bell-crank lever extends downward and toward the left and has anupper flat face covered by a leather pad 252. When no shoe is clamped inthe jack this pad is arranged to engage a flattened lower face of a pin254 which is secured in the frame. The two links 262 and 2M on which thejack is supported, and also the third link 226, are somewhat inclinedtoward the right when there is no shoe in the jack, so that the weightof the jack acts through the rod 232 to maintain the arm 25!] of thebell-crank lever 2st in contact with the pin 254. In this condition thejack is spaced to the right from the position which it occupies in thelasting operation a distance which may be varied by turning the rod 232through its hand wheel 236. Since the rod 232 is prevented from movinglengthwise relatively to the trunnion 224 on the link 2.26 and isthreaded in the socket member 2 16, the position of which is determinedby the bell-crank lever 2 36 and the pin 254, the link 226 isnecessarily swung by the turning of the rod and causes equal swingingmovements of the jack-supporting links 252 and The jack is moved apredetermined distance toward the wipers simultaneously with theclamping of the shoe by the toe and heel rests. For this purpose thethree-armed lever 12 has a downwardly extending arm 256 the lower end ofwhich is connected by a link 258 to the lower end of a depending arm 266of a bell-crank lever 262 which is mounted on a pin 2% located in-thejack casting in substantially the same forward and rearward verticalplane as the pin I96 about which the jack swings. The second arm 266 ofthis bell-crank lever extends toward the left and is connected by a balljoint to the upper end of a link 268. The lower end of this link isconnected, also by a ball joint, to the previously mentioned bell-cranklever 246, the point of connection between this link and the bell-cranklever 246 being located substantially between the two arms of thelatter. Accordingly, as the three-armed lever 12 is operated to clamp ashoe by means of the toe rest and the heel rest as previously described,it acts at thesame time to swing the bell-crank lever 262 in acounterclockwise direction and thereby to impart a similar movement tothe bell-crank lever 245. It will be evident that this movement of thebell-crank lever 246 causes the link 226 to be swung toward the left,and since this link is connected to the links 262 and 2M, these linksare swung in the same direction and carry the jack with them. The jackis maintained in the position to which it is thus carried by the linksthrough the same means which maintains the toe and heel rests inoperative positions, i. e., by the toggle arrangement provided by thelink 86 and the arms 82 connecting this link to the shaft 34.

' Since the arm 96 is always moved to the same position injacking' ashoe of whatever size, the amount of movement of the jack toward thewipers will always be the same. This may, for example, be about twoinches, so as to provide sufficient clearance between the wipers and theplate 8 to permit the shoe to be readily positioned against the platewithout interference by the wipers. It will be evident, however, thatthe exact position to which the jack is moved may be varied as desiredby means of the hand wheel 234 which by its rotation varies the initialor starting position of the jack.

The links 202 and 2 l4 supporting the jack may be, for example, aboutseven inches'in length, and they swing but a short distance in movingthe jack toward the wipers as above described. The links, moreover, areinitially inclined but little from the vertical, and in moving thejackthey swing substantially to .verticalposition's. In'this operation,therefore, the upward movement of the upper ends of the links is soslight as to impart but a very small heightwise movement to the jack andshoe. Since thelinks are parallel, no tipping of the shoe takes place inthe movement of the jack.

Inorder to provide further support for the jack an additional link 210,of the samelength as the links 202 and 2M and parallel thereto, ispivoted on the frame between these links but is offsetrearwardlytherefrom. The link 210 has secured in spaced ears. atitsupper end a pin on which is, pivoted an arm. 212 extending toward theright and pivoted at its right-hand end on the rear end of the. rod ,2l2to which the link 2M is connected as previously described.

This insures that thelink 210 willalways remain parallel to the otherjack-supporting links. The arm 212 has extending upwardly from it abovethe link 210 a pair of ears in which is secured a horizontal pin 2'!(Fig. 2) which is substantially radial to the pin I96 on which the jackswings laterally, and on this pin 214 is mounted a vroll 216 which bearsagainst a track face 218 (Fig. 3) extending rearwardly and toward theleft from the lower arm of the jack casting so that the roll and trackface maintaintheir engagement during swinging movements of, the jackabout the pin I96.

The machine is further provided with a knee-' operated jack releasedevice 286 which the operator may use insteadof the arm 90 to cause thejack to withdraw from the wipers and releasethe shoe. This deviceincludes a depending rod 282 secured adjustably in a bifurcated yoke 284which is pivoted on the ends of the rod 2l2. The yoke 284 has a face 286so arranged that when the device 280 is swung'toward the right to unjackthe shoe this face strikes against the lowerend of a plunger 288slidingly mounted in the jack casting. On its upper end (Fig. 5) thisplunger has a head arranged to strike against a finger 296 securedon'the gear sector 86 and thus to turn the shaft 84 in acounterclockwise di-' rection to break the toggle ,80, 82. When thisoccurs the toe and heel rests are returned to their starting positionsand the weight of the jack parts, assisted by a spring hereinafterreferred to, causes the jack to be returned toward the right to itsinoperative position. As the link 54 to which the toe rest is connectedrises during the unjacking of the shoe and as the roll I94 which causes"the pawls H0 to engage the teeth on the slide 5llf moves toward theright, these pawlsare moved out of engagement with the slide by theaction of the springs I82 on the yoke member I80. I

In order'to assist the operator in beginning to move the jack toward oraway from the wipers there is provided means which gives an impulse tothe jack in the desired direction when the operator swings the arm 90 inthe appropriate direction. This means comprises springs 292, 294 mountedloosely on the forward one of the two previously mentioned rods 222(Fig. 1), these springs bearing respectively at their outer ends againstcollars 296, 298 clamped. on the rod. A lug 30B fixed on the bearing forthe trunk 1 surrounds the rod 222 between the inner ends of the springs,and the springs are spaced so far apart that when the jack is in itsinoperative position the left-hand end of the right-hand spring 294 isspaced somewhatfrom the lug 3lilll, while the right-hand end'of theleft-hand spring 292 abuts against the lug and is under compression.When the jack begins to move toward the wipers, therefore, the spring292 expands and assists initially in such movement of the jack, andsince the jack rises slightly as it moves in this direction, this springmay conveniently be somewhat stronger than the spring 294. As the jackapproaches its operative positionthe spring 292 moves out of engagementwith the lug 300 and the spring 294 engages it and becomes somewhatcompressed. Therefore, when the jack later begins to move towardinoperative position the spring 294 expands to assist in such movementof the jack. 7 V

By reason of the arrangement of the gear sectors 88, 88 and the lengthof the arm 90, this arm operates the jacking mechanism with considerablemechanical advantage, thus lightening the Work of the operator. Thisarrangement, moreover, gives the desirable result that movement of thejack toward the left and toward the right is eiiected by swingingmovements of the arm 90 in those same directions.

' Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. In a machine foroperating on shoes, a shoepositioning device for engaging the bottom ofa shoe, a toe rest and. a heel rest for engaging the shoe respectivelyat the top of the forepart and at the heel end to hold the shoe, andmechanism movable by the-operator to force said toe rest and heel restfirst yieldingly and then positively against the shoe after the shoe hasbeen presented in contact with said shoe-positioning device.

2. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe-positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively atthe top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold. the shoe, a member common to said toe rest and heel rest andmovable by the operator to force them against the shoe, and mechanismcontrolled by said member for operating said toe and heel rests firstyieldingly and then positively.

- 3. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member common to said toe rest and heel rest andmovable by the operator to force them against the shoe, and mechanismfor operating said toe and heel V rests by the movement of said member,said mechanism comprising parts relatively movable against yieldingresistance upon engagement of the toe and heel rests with the shoe andalso means for thereafter positively connecting said parts to force thetoe and heel rests unyieldingly against the shoe.

4. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member movable by the operator to force said toe andheel rests against the shoe, a floating lever operated by said member,connections between said floating lever and the toe and heel restsincluding a spring yieldable upon engagement of said toe and heel restswith the shoe, and means for substituting a positive connection for saidspring in the continued movement of said member.

5. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member movable by the operator to force said toe andheel rests against the shoe, a floating lever operated by said member,positive connections between one end of said floating lever and the heelrest, connections between the other end of said lever and the toe restincluding a spring yieldable upon engagement of the toe and heel restswith the shoe, and a device for rendering the connections between thelever and the toe rest positive in the continued movement of saidmember.

' 6. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member movable by the operator to force said toe andheel rests against the shoe, intermeshing gear members arranged to beoperated by said first-named member, and connections between one of saidgear members and the toe and heel rests for operating them.

'7 In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member movable by the operator to force said toe andheel rests against the shoe, intermeshing gear members arranged to beoperated by said first-named member, a crank armoperated by one of saidgear members, a link connected to said crank arm, and connectionsbetween said link and the toe and heel rests for operating them, saidcrank arm and link being movable to positions in substantially parallelrelation to each other for maintaining the toe and heel rests inshoe-hold ing positions.

8; In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a floating lever connected to said toe and heel rests formoving them against the shoe, and mechanism including intermeshing gearmembers movable by the operator to operate said floating lever.

9. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at theheel end tohold the shoe, a floating lever connected to said toe and heel rests formoving them against the shoe, another lever connected to said floatinglever for operating the latter, a link connected at one end to saidother lever, a crank arm connected to the other end of said link, and amember movable by the operator to operate said crank arm.

10. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe-positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe positioned bottom upward, a toe rest and aheel rest for engaging the shoe respectively at the top of the forepartand at the heel end to hold the shoe, a floating lever, means for movingsaid floating lever in a downward direction, and connections betweensaid floating lever and the toe and heel rests for raising the toe restand for moving the heel rest toward the heel end of the shoe by thedownward movement of thegfloating lever.

11. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe-positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe positioned bottom upward, a toe rest and aheel rest for engaging theshoe respectively at the top of the forepartand at the heel end. to hold the shoe, a floating lever, means formoving said floating lever in a downward direction, a lever connected tosaid toe rest and movable to raise the toe rest by the downward movementof the floating lever, and lever-and-link connections between thefloating lever and the heel rest for moving the heel rest also intoengagement with the shoe by the downward movement of the floating lever.

12. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoe-positioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepartand at the heel end tohold the shoe, a member for moving said toe and heel rests against theshoe, and connections between said member and the toe and heel rests foroperating them, the connections to the heel rest comprising an armmounted to swing adjustably to difierent positions for effecting apreliminary adjustment of the heel rest lengthwise of a shoe.

13. In a machine for operating on shoes, a shoepositioning device forengaging the bottom of a shoe, a toe rest and a heel rest for engagingthe shoe respectively at the top of the forepart and at the heel end tohold the shoe, a slide supporting said heel rest and movable indirections lengthwise of the shoe, a link for operating said slide toforce the heel rest against the shoe, and a device pivotally connectedto said link and mounted on said slide for turning movement to efiect apreliminary adjustment of the slide relatively to the link.

14. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support, parallel links on which saidshoe support is mounted for movements in directions lengthwise of a shoethereon, said parallel links being arranged to be swung in a. directionto carry the shoe support away from said operating means by the weightof the support thereon and being movable reversely to carry the supportwith each shoe toward the operating means, mechanism for holding thesupport positively in position for the shoe to be operated upon and forthereafter releasing it from such positive control to permit movementthereof away from the operating means by gravity, and stop mechanism forlimiting movement of the support away from the operating means.

15. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe,

of a shoe support, parallel links on which said shoe support is mountedfor movements in directions lengthwise of a shoe thereon, said parallellinks being arranged to be swung in a direction to carry the shoesupport away from said operating'means by the weight of the supportthereon and being movable reversely to carry the support with each shoetoward the operating means, mechanism for holding the support positivelyin, position for the shoe to be operated upon and for thereafterreleasing it from such positive control to permit movement thereof awayfrom the operating means by gravity, a lever connected to the support,and a relatively fixed member for engaging said lever to limit movementof the sup-- port away from the operating means.

16; In amachine for operatingon shoes, the combination with means foroperating on ashoe, ofa shoe support, parallel links on which said shoesupport is mounted for movements in directions lengthwise of ashoeth-ereon, said parallel links being arranged to be swung in adirection to carry the shoe support away from said operating means bythe weight of the support thereon and being movable reversely to carrythe support with each shoe toward the-operating means, and a springarranged to assistin initiating the movement or" the support away fromthe operating means.

1'7. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support, parallel links on which saidshoe support is mounted for movements in directions lengthwise of a shoethereon, said parallel links being arranged to be swung in a directionto carry. the shoe support away from said operating means by the weightof the support thereon, means for moving the support toward theoperating means, and a spring arranged to assist in initiating suchmovement of the support toward the operating means.

18. In a' machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support provided with means for clampinga shoe thereon, a member movable to operate said clamping means,parallel links on which said shoe support is mounted, for movementstoward andfrom said operating means, and mechanism arranged to beoperated by said member to impart to the shoe support a movement towardthe operating means accompanied by the swinging of said parallel links.

19. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support provided with means for clampinga shoe thereon, a member movable to operate said clamping means,parallel links on which said shoe support is mounted for movementstoward and from said operating means, a lever mounted independently ofthe shoe support and arranged to be operated by said member, and meansfor imparting to the shoe support a movement toward the operating meansby the movement of said lever.

20. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support provided with means for clampinga shoe thereon, a member movable to operate said clamping means,parallel links on which said shoe support is mounted for movementstoward and from said operating means, a lever mounted independently ofthe shoe support, connections between said member and lever for swingingthe lever by the movement of said member, and connections between thelever and the parallel links 15 for moving the shoe support toward theoperating means by the swinging of the lever.

21. In a machine'for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support mounted for movements toward andfrom said operating means and provided with means for clamping a shoethereon, a member on the shoe support movable by the operator to operatesaid clamping means, a lever mounted independently of the shoe supportand arranged to be swung by the movement of said member, and means forimparting to the shoe support a movement toward said operating means bythe swinging of said lever.

22. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support mounted for movements toward andfrom said operating means and provided with means for clamping a shoethereon, a member on the shoe support movable by the operator to operatesaid clamping means, a lever mounted independently of the shoe supportbut connected thereto to swing as the shoe support moves toward or fromsaid operating means, a' stop arranged to engage said lever to limitmovement of the shoe support away from the operating means, andconnections between said member and lever for operating the lever tomove the shoe support toward the operating means by the movement of saidmember.

23. In a machine for operating on shoes, the combination with means foroperating on a shoe, of a shoe support mounted for movements toward andfrom said operating means and provided with means for clamping a shoethereon, a

. lever mounted on the shoe support to swing in directions toward andfrom the operating means, and mechanism for operating said clampingmeans to clamp a shoe and for moving the shoe support toward saidoperating means by the swinging of said lever in that direction.

24. In a machine for operating on boots and shoes, the combination withmeans for operating on the toe end of a boot or shoe, of a work supportprovided with upper and lower arms connected together and extendingtoward said operating means, said work support having means forsupporting a long-legged boot bottom upward and being mounted to swinglaterally about an axis located in the vicinity of the toe end of theboot, and a portion of said lower arm being ofiset laterally to clearthe depending leg of the boot. 7 25. In a machine for operating on bootsand shoes, the combination with means for operating on the toe end of aboot or shoe, of a work support provided with upper and lower armsconnected together and extending toward said operating means, a devicesupported on said upper arm for engaging the bottom of the forepart of along-legged boot presented bottom upward, a toe rest supported on saidlower arm for clamping the forepart of the boot against said device, anda heel rest for engaging the heel-end face of the boot, a portion ofsaid lower arm being offset laterally to clear the depending leg of theboot.

26. In a machine for operating on shoes, a heel rest for engaging theheel end of a shoe, a

depending link 'supporting'said heel rest and mounted at its upper endto swing about anaxis extending laterally of the shoe,.and means foradjusting the link about said axis.

27. In a machine for operating on shoes, a heel rest for engaging theheel end of a shoe, andspring means against the resistance of which saidheel rest is movable in one direction or the other about an axisextending laterally of the shoe in response to pressure of the shoeagainst it.

28. In a machine for operating on shoes, a heel rest for'engaging theheel end of a shoe, a sup-. port for said heel rest adjustably movablein directions heightwise of the shoe, and spring-controlled retainingmeans movable to release said support and permit its adjustment andarranged to maintain it in different adjustedpositions.

29. In a machine for operating on shoes, 2. heel rest for engaging theheel end of a shoe, a slide supporting said heel rest and adjustablymovable in directions heightwise of the shoe, a depending link supportedat its upper end by said slide to swing'about an axis extendinglaterally of the shoe, means for adjusting the link about said axis, andmeans supporting the heel rest on said link for movement againstyielding resistance about an axis extending laterally of the shoe for'better accommodation to the shape or positionof the shoe.

V WILLIALM THOMAS BUCKINGHAM ROBERTS.

